Problem: Solve for $x$ : $(x - 4)^2 - 25 = 0$
Add $25$ to both sides so we can start isolating $x$ on the left: $ (x - 4)^2 = 25$ Take the square root of both sides to get rid of the exponent. $ \sqrt{(x - 4)^2} = \pm \sqrt{25}$ Be sure to consider both positive and negative $5$ , since squaring either one results in $25$ $ x - 4 = \pm 5$ Add $4$ to both sides to isolate $x$ on the left: $ x = 4 \pm 5$ Add and subtract $5$ to find the two possible solutions: $ x = 9 \text{or} x = -1$